'SURVIVOR' Show has 20 vying for prize

Most diverse group yet will appear on CBS' reality series. NEW YORK (AP) -- The island is about to get a little more crowded. The 10th edition of CBS' "Survivor," set in the Pacific island nation of Palau, includes 20 castaways who will try to outwit, outplay and outlast each other to win the $1 million prize. The most recent "Vanuatu" and "All-Stars" seasons included 18 contestants while all other previous editions of the reality show stranded 16 individuals in an exotic locale. The "Palau" cast, announced Thursday, just might be the most diverse "Survivor" tribe yet. The oldest contestant is 57; the youngest is 21. The cast includes a bartender from New Orleans, a firefighter from New York, a dolphin trainer from Florida and a Las Vegas showgirl. Potential voting blocs might include the "lawyer alliance" (three contestants are lawyers), the "California alliance" (four hail from the Golden State), or maybe even the "my-first-name-has-double-letters alliance" (Ashlee, Gregg, Bobby, Jennifer, Williard and Jeff). Cast of characters The 20 new castaways are: Coby Archa, 32, a hairstylist from Athens, Texas; Ashlee Ashby, 22, a student from Easley, S.C.; Gregg Carey, 28, a business consultant from Chicago; Bobby Jon Drinkard, 27, a waiter from Santa Monica, Calif.; Katie Gallagher, 29, an advertising executive from Merced, Calif.; Caryn Groedel, 46, a civil rights attorney from Solon, Ohio; Angie Jakusz, 24, a bartender from New Orleans; Jolanda Jones, 39, a lawyer from Houston; Stephenie LaGrossa, 25, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Philadelphia; Jonathan Libby, 23, a sales and marketing executive from Dallas; Jennifer Lyon, 32, a nanny from Encino, Calif.; James Miller, 33, a steel worker from Mobile, Ala.; Kimberly Mullen, 25, a graduate student from Huber Heights, Ohio; Ibrehem Rahman, 27, a waiter from Birmingham, Ala.; Ian Rosenberger, 23, a dolphin trainer from Key Largo, Fla.; Wanda Shirk, 55, an English teacher from Ulysses, Pa.; Williard Smith, 57, a lawyer from Bellevue, Wash.; Janu Tornell, 39, a showgirl from Las Vegas; Tom Westman, 41, a New York City firefighter from Sayville, N.Y.; and Jeff Wilson, 21, a personal trainer from Ventura, Calif. During the live "Vanuatu" finale, host Jeff Probst promised that in Palau, "the game will be changed in a dramatic way. Everything the survivors have come to expect will be wiped out in the first 10 minutes." One hint: The press statement says three castaways are sent home in the first episode. "Survivor: Palau" premieres Feb. 17.